Challenge Cup 18/19 - Semi-Finals

[Leonormous Boozer]

Rugby is such a weird sport

That's why we love it! Haha xx

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

Ooooooooh

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Good first half but it definitely feels like we're clinging on,
Don't think we have the bench to defend a potential lead or take it up a notch to chase the game

If Ashton hadn't got that try I'd be raging about those two missed high tackles in their 22

 

[Rinkadink]

Love how French TV coverage never shows any footage that would go against their team.

Sale could steal this one, shame I can't watch the second half.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

These la rochelle players are embarrassing with their flopping

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Considering I was expecting us to get absolutely pumped that was a pretty decent performance

Carnage, but entertaining

 

[barthelemy]

As usual, no words about the awful, one sided refering of owens with the last 20 minutes all for Sale, blindness of the brit supporters, Owens does not like the french, how many evidences you will need before you understand the deep unfairness of Owens when he is the referee of the match where a french side is involved ? This was a despicable performance from nigel Owens, another of countless ones

 

[TRF_Olyy]

lol, diddums

La Rochelle got their fair share of the rub of the green.
I'm no fan of Owens but his crazy decisions probably evened out.
Solomona binned for a tackle that slid high on a player diving in to score, but Jono Ross got his nose broken and it's play on because he dipped into contact was an interesting one. Luke James copped a shot to the throat the previous phase too, but conveniently the French director lost that footage - and also lost all the angles for potential offside for the try.
Yellow card for kicking at someone's face rather than red.
Ruining a building attack by blowing for an imaginary knock on.
Scrum penalty the wrong way at the end.


But then the other way he let a lot go at the earlier scrums - many collapses could have been penalties but he made La Rochelle play ball. Philips probably should have been binned for the off the ball tackle (though it was an horrendous dive) and WGJ should have been penalised for changing his line and colliding with a kick chase (again: horrendous dive).

La Rochelle were the better side, though, and deserved the win.

Diving was really embarassing though, I hope it doesn't seep into the rest of pro rugby. I didn't realise it was so engrained into French rugby these days.

 

[Dai Perk]

Yellow card for kicking at someone's face rather than red.

That whole exchange was incredible to see unfold... If that replacement player had cost his team a trip to the finals by kicking a player in the face, I don't even know what would become of his career...

For a comparatively new viewer, it was hard to know whether that was the right decision or not. I'm not clear if it's the intent that determines the card, or the outcome - in this case, it was obviously the outcome. But it also seemed like he was toning it down as a sort of off-set for the Sale player who'd grabbed his leg in the first place... In the NFL, penalties by both sides on the same play off-set each other, ending the play - I take it that's not the case here? Did Sale commit a penalty, or not?

Gotta say though - this was an AWESOME weekend of rugby, the Sarries game was a little predictable, but the other three were riveting.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

They gave a penalty against Solomona and then reversed it and yellow carded the LR player

Solomona didn't take the guy beyond the ruck and if you're penalising his actions you'd never have a ruck in a game again - it was only penalised because the assistant referee said it was worse than it was and when they looked technically he was holding the guy so they had to penalise
They gave a yellow because they said he made contact with the body but he made contact with the body and it carried up and hit his face.
The colour of the card, realistically, didn't matter as there was less than 10mins in the game left, but it's silly to say the French were given a rough time by the officials when things like that happen


You do occasionally get a referee just not penalise anyone if there's a bit of pushing and shoving, if it was one player being the aggressor they'd get pinged but if it's two sometimes they'll just tell everyone to calm down and restart with a scrum

 

[Dai Perk]

I thought it was weird that nobody seemed to notice when the Solomona got up in a rage and went after the guy... as it was happening, I was like, "There is about to be a HUGE fight off-screen," but things kinda just kept moving... If it had dragged on much longer, it would have been pretty annoying, but I found the whole exchange slightly thrilling.